Fehaid Al-Deehani

Kuwaiti sports shooter

1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)Weight96 kg (212 lb)SportCountry

KuwaitSportShootingEvent(s)Trap, double trapCoached byMirko CinceAchievements and titlesOlympic finalsGold medal at Rio Summer Olympics 2016

Medal record

Representing the Independent Olympic Athletes

Olympic Games
	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Double trap
Representing Kuwait
Olympic Games
	2000 Sydney	Double trap
	2012 London	Trap

Updated on 10 August 2016.

Fahad Al-Deehani (Arabic: فهيد الديحاني, born October 11, 1966) is a Kuwaiti professional target shooter and officer in the Kuwaiti military.^[1] He was born in Kuwait City.^[2]^[3]

Olympic career

Al-Deehani won a bronze medal for the men's double trap shooting event at the 2000 Summer Olympics and thus he became the first Kuwaiti to ever win an Olympic bronze medal.^[4] He won another bronze for the men's Olympic trap shooting event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Al-Deehani competed as an "independent Olympic athlete" because Kuwait was banned from the Olympics by the IOC.^[1] Al-Deehani called for the resignation of Kuwaiti officials responsible for the IOC ban,^[5] but refused to carry the Olympic flag in the 2016 Olympic opening ceremonies.^[1] Al-Deehani defeated Italian Marco Innocenti in the gold medal match of the men's double trap, becoming the first independent athlete and Kuwaiti to win a gold medal.^[6] He said the medal is the best answer to those who kept the Kuwait flag away from the award ceremonies^[7] He added that everyone was calling him “Fehaid the Kuwaiti”. This medal, he added, would carry the name of Kuwait. “I was not representing the Olympic Committee; rather I represented Kuwait.”^[8]

Al-Deehani had retired in the year 2018 after an illustrious career.^[9] On 28 August, 2023, he announced in a instagram post that he is returning back to international competitions as per an appeal from the Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah and in response to homeland's call for return.^[10]

Other competitions

In 2014, Al-Deehani won silver in the Asian Games double trap competition.^[11]

Olympic results
Event	1992	1996	2000	2004	2012	2016
Trap (mixed)	29th 140	Not held
Trap (men)	Not held	20th 119	—	—	Bronze 124+21+4	—
Double trap (men)	Not held	10th 136	Bronze 141+45	8th 134	4th 140+45+1	Gold 135+28+26

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Rio 2016: Proud Fehaid Al Deehani rejects IOC – 'I will only carry the Kuwait flag'". The National. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
^ "Fehaid Al Deehani Olympic medals and stats". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
^ nbcolympics.com. "2008 Beijing Summer Olympics - Kuwait , Country Profile, Olympic Tradition - Outlook, Medal Count - NBC Olympics". Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
^ "Fehaid Al Deehani becomes first ever Kuwaiti to win Olympic Gold : ANOC". Retrieved 2023-08-28.
^ "Documentary highlights pain of Olympic hopefuls". Arab Times. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
^ "Kuwaiti becomes first independent athlete to win gold with men's double trap win". stuff.co.nz. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
^ "Kuwait facing ban from Rio 2016 as row continues but athletes to be offered opportunity to compete under Olympic flag". www.insidethegames.biz. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
^ "Proud Kuwaiti soldier refuses to carry Olympic flag". Arab News. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
^ Times, Kuwait (2018-04-16). "KSSC make statements over Daihani's retirement". Kuwait Times. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
^ "AlDeehaniFehaid - Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
^ Dudko, James. "Asian Games Day 6 Results". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2016-08-10.